Lan Mandragoran

Lan, full name al'Lan Mandragoran, is one of the main characters of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.

al'Lan Mandragoran is the last surviving King of Malkier. His kingdom was overrun by the Shadow when he was but a baby. During the events of The Eye of the World, he was Moiraine Sedai's Warder. During the trip, he and Nynaeve al'Meara fell in love, but his duty was ever to Moiraine; when their paths split after Tear, he went with his Aes Sedai to the Aiel Waste. This led to Moiraine's and Lanfear's passing at the doorframe ter'angreal on the docks of Cairhein.

When a Warder's Aes Sedai dies, the Warder is usually quick to follow, but Moiraine prevented this by altering their bond so that, upon her death, it would pass to another. Almost the moment she was lost, Lan set out to find this other, specifically Myrelle of the Green Ajah... Who happened to be with the Salidar rebels, under Egwene's command. When Egwene found out, she told Lan to go to Ebou Dar, where Nynaeve was hunting the Bowl of the Winds; he did so immediately. (What Egwene did to Myrelle is another story entirely.) He was there when Moghedien attempted to kill Nynaeve with balefire (though she missed and instead sliced through the boat Nynaeve was in) and helped to rescue her from the water. The two were married before the day's end, aboard a Sea Folk ship Nynaeve had been sent in embassy to. The Sea Folk have a wise custom regarding marriage: since a husband and wife may change rank in relation to each other many times, the spouse who gives the orders in public must take them in private. This has resulted in Nynaeve, who is very much used to giving orders, losing quite a bit of her temper, though most (e.g. Mat Cauthon) believe Lan insane for having married her in the first place.

Besides turning Nynaeve's life upside-down, he has also been influential in Rand al'Thor's life: he was the Dragon Reborn's first tutor in the use of the sword, and has also passed down a good deal of advice and general wisdom. As Rand is officially recognized as a blademaster and Lan was his teacher, it stands to reason that Lan, too, has attained that rank; and even if not, his defeat of recognized-blademaster Toram Riatin at Far Madding suggests that he is worthy of the title.

Lan is described as having a face of stone planes and as tying his hair back with a braided leather cord. There is little that can defeat him in physical combat. The al' on the front of his name is the Malkieri honorific for king; his wife, Queen of Malkier by marriage, is sometimes called "el'Nynaeve" by the same custom. He is greatly respected by citizens of the other nations of the Borderlands, both for his status as the last King of Malkier (a nation that was held in high regard) and for his prowess in combat, and is often honored with the title Dai'shan, which literally means "Diademed Battle Leader."